Last week as I was walking through Matthew 19:23-24 where we are told about the difficulty of a camel walking through the eye of a needle I was drawn by a cross reference to 1 Kings 3:1-14. In this passage we read about King Solomon, how he marries a daughter of Pharaoh - the beginning, sad to say, of a number of political marriages that would prove difficult in the years to come.
Then we read vs. 3…
3Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.
Doesn’t that verse strike you as a little odd. It begins well, telling us that Solomon loved the LORD and showed it by walking in the statutes of his father David. Then, we are hit with a statement that, for some, is quite controversial. The verse specifically says, “except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
Now, it seems to me that the structure of the words in the text leads us to believe that Solomon struggled along with other Israelites (vs. 2) who, just like their ancestors during the time of the Judges, were worshiping Jehovah on the high places - the places where the Canaanites had worshiped their gods. It is possible, based on vs. 2 that their worship of God on the high places had simply become the convenient location. However, later on in Leviticus we will see that such worship, even to the One True God was prohibited.
So, is this a potential flaw in Solomon’s life. Many, if not most, Biblical scholars and commentators suggest so, even though it may be much more of a cultural thing, than a personal rebellion against God. So, for our purposes today, let’s recognize it as such.
Having said that, doesn’t vs. 3 still seem odd to you? Here is Solomon loving the LORD and pursuing a walk with God that is just like his father David, whom we are told was a man after God’s own heart. Yet, he is flawed, imperfect and sinful.
Then, God comes to Solomon in a dream telling him, “ask what you wish Me to give you.” Solomon responds by praising God for his lovingkindness followed by his request…
“give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil.”
Now, unlike man’s typical list of requests - money, power, love, long life a foot-long chili dog with curly fries - he opts for understanding and discernment, which will truly be critically effective in his role as king. The LORD commends Solomon for his request and promises that He will give him what he has asked as well as what he hadn’t asked for - discernment + riches & honor.
Now I reflect on all of these things and ask myself this question, “How is it that God is willing to be so gracious to Solomon, especially when Solomon is habitually failing to please God in the high places?”
Now, my answer may come as a bit of a shock to you - because He is a God of grace, patience, longsuffering, etc. He is willing to work with Solomon… And, add to that, He is willing to work with us!
You see, what God ultimately cares about in the general sense, is that your arrow is pointing in the right direction - toward Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When Jesus drew us to Himself all the realities of the Gospel were showered on us - the promise of eternal life, the security of being in Him, the knowledge that we are considered holy because we are covered with the righteousness of Christ, the freedom to not sin and be enslaved to sin again, and the present active ministry of the Holy Spirit to name a few.
So, in one sense it is true for us to say, “I am perfect, complete and holy” because of what Jesus has done on the cross - paying for my past, present and future sins. In another sense, however, we know that we are not in practice what we truly are positionally in Christ. Or, to put it another way “we are to be progressively pursuing a holiness (our Practice) that moves us closer to what I am in Christ - holy (our Position).
O.K. well, I say all that to help draw out some helpful conclusions from this text:
1. We should always be careful that we don’t become one sin junkies, i.e. always viewing people through their one, ongoing sin, rather than the orientation of their arrow. It is so easy to do, isn’t it. We are so naturally drawn to other people’s flaws, and so quickly measure their total character by them.
Now, this is not to ignore the sin, but it is allowing love to cover it - which is another way of saying, “Be patient to lovingly tolerate that sin so that you don’t discourage the orientation of their spiritual arrow.” It may be helpful here to quote to common saying, “Please be patient with me, God is not through with me yet.” By no means are we to excuse the sin, but rather, we can encourage the direction of the arrow rather than discourage it.
2. We should take note that although Solomon, like the people, offered sacrifices on the high places, his disobedient, but socially and culturally acceptable, activity would have lasting effects on his role as King and His walk with God. This is where the rubber meets the road. There comes a time when we cannot allow “love covering a multitude of sins” to continue. We must seek discernment to know when to remove the covering and deal directly with the sin. Much is at stake if it is ignored, and, in Solomon’s case, his capitulation to his many pagan wives regarding their pagan worship grows out of this choice to follow the cultural norm of the day.
3. We must be careful to always be looking at ways in which we are ultimately being disobedient to our LORD when, in fact, we truly believe we are walking with him. Our conscience may be clear because of the context and culture in which we live. In Solomon’s case, his sacrificing in the high places, seems to be a cultural practice accepted as the norm since the Temple hadn’t been built yet.
So, the question might be, “What is it that is culturally acceptable by me and the Christian culture around me that when I stand before the LORD it will truly be evident that I, and my Christian brothers and sisters, have fallen short of the glory of God?
Here are some areas/arenas that come to mind as I type:
- Marriage-Divorce & Remarriage - Is He truly pleased with us?
- What we listen to…
- What we watch…TV, Movies, etc.
- Whom we vote for…Democrat, Republican, Green or Libertarian
- How we spend our money…Vacations, Houses, Clothing, Furniture…stuff!
This is just a list to get your mind thinking, pondering and considering the impact of God’s Word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit on the life of a child of God.
Finally…
4. Being obedient to the LORD no matter what and choosing the right path will often result in unseen and unexpected blessing from God. I think that is what the David was trying to tell is in Psalm 37:4…
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
We may often feel like Solomon, truly loving the LORD while struggling with a particular sin. The truly important question for us today is this…
- Even with your sinful struggles, Is your arrow pointing in the right direction?